39.8g/t Gold Peak Assay Highlights New Pass Project’s Growing Potential

Elevating New Pass Prospectivity

Sierra Nevada Gold Inc (ASX – SNX) has unveiled compelling new exploration results from its New Pass Gold Project in Nevada, USA. Recent geological mapping, petrology, and rock chip sampling have revealed further high-grade gold targets, reinforcing the project's potential as a significant gold system.

Among the standout findings is a peak gold assay of 39.8 grams per tonne (g/t) from a laminated quartz vein, alongside multiple samples exceeding 10 g/t Au from the Thomas W vein. Notably, a newly identified sub-parallel vein east of Thomas W returned an impressive 23.3 g/t Au, highlighting previously unrecognized high-grade mineralisation zones.

Insights from Quartz Vein-Style Study

The company’s detailed vein-style study has established a correlation between veining textures and gold grades, with laminated quartz veins and moderate brecciation associated with the highest assays. This nuanced understanding is expected to enhance grade control in the upcoming bulk sampling program, which targets the Superior Vein pending permit approvals anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2025.

These findings challenge earlier assumptions that the Superior Vein alone hosted the highest-grade gold, elevating the Thomas W vein’s importance in the project’s exploration strategy.

Expanding Exploration Horizons with Fluvial Channel Discovery

Significantly, SNX has reinterpreted a geological feature historically mapped as the New Pass Fault to be a fluvial channel, a sedimentary deposit formed after mineralisation. This reinterpretation expands the near-surface exploration search space, opening new avenues for targeting gold mineralisation that may have been overlooked under previous models.

The fluvial channel’s identification also refines the geological framework, suggesting post-mineralisation structural tilting and fluid pathway exploitation that could influence gold distribution.

Saddle Target – A New Frontier

Further north of the main mining area lies the Saddle Target, an extensive zone marked by argillic and pyrite alteration and anomalous concentrations of zinc and other pathfinder elements. Geophysical induced polarization (IP) surveys have detected two large chargeability anomalies near surface, which remain untested by drilling.

Surface sampling within the Saddle Target has returned elevated arsenic, copper, antimony, and zinc levels, suggesting a potential genetic link to the high-grade veins at Superior and Thomas W. This area represents a promising new target for SNX’s exploration efforts.

Looking Ahead

SNX plans to advance detailed geological mapping and selective sampling across newly identified areas, particularly along strike of the Thomas W and Superior veins. Additional petrographic studies aim to clarify the relationship between intrusive rocks and mineralisation, further refining drill targets.

With bulk sampling of the Superior Vein slated for Q4 2025 pending permits, these recent discoveries position New Pass as a project with considerable upside potential, both in terms of resource expansion and exploration success.